Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Changzhou

For one person, living is cheaper in Changzhou: $741 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Changzhou
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Changzhou Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Changzhou

🇨🇳 China

$741

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Changzhou

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Phuket and in Changzhou actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,207 in Phuket versus $741 in Changzhou.

Phuket $1,207
Changzhou $741

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,037 in Phuket versus $1,217 in Changzhou.

Phuket $2,037
Changzhou $1,217

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,867 in Phuket versus $1,694 in Changzhou.

Phuket $2,867
Changzhou $1,694

Living in Phuket is roughly 63% more expensive than in Changzhou, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Phuket 11% lower, Changzhou 45% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$2.92 ¥19.50

56.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

$28.54 ¥191

13.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$4.51 ¥30.16

89.58%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.0

$2.22 ¥14.82

22.52%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 ฿31.25

$0.38 ¥2.55

147.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$0.23 ¥1.53

113.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$0.62 ¥4.15

317.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$1.45 ¥9.69

164.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$1.86 ¥12.47

-6.45%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$1.28 ¥8.59

11.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$1.00 ¥6.65

53.00%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$1.72 ¥11.53

26.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$7.41 ¥49.53

158.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$2.82 ¥18.85

17.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

$12.35 ¥82.6

-9.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$2.16 ¥14.44

36.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$1.73 ¥11.58

-2.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$1.97 ¥13.14

16.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$1.04 ¥6.96

104.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$0.77 ¥5.13

98.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

$0.99 ¥6.63

37.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

$0.39 ¥2.60

187.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$0.62 ¥4.18

-11.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$3.29 ¥22.03

29.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$10.58 ¥70.8

71.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$0.82 ¥5.48

112.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$1.56 ¥10.45

78.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

$0.33 ¥2.20

572.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

$14.32 ¥95.8

54.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$1.51 ¥10.09

92.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

$0.31 ¥2.08

225.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$2.93 ¥19.57

30.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$1.31 ¥8.74

13.74%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$26.7K ฿891.6K

$17.1K ¥114.1K

56.32%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$26.7K ฿892.7K

$13.8K ¥92.3K

93.47%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$99.4 ฿3,321

$57.5 ¥385

72.79%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$11.28 ฿377

$8.13 ¥54.3

38.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$10.66 ¥71.3

62.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

$40.60 ¥271

28.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

$14.75 ¥98.6

-26.44%

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$4.57 ¥30.53

65.65%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$558 ฿18.7K

$251 ¥1,681

122.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

$15.1K ¥101.0K

-23.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

$55.3 ¥370

13.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

$22.58 ¥151

26.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

$76.0 ¥508

26.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

$76.2 ¥510

15.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

$285 ¥1,908

155.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$229 ¥1,529

101.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

$917 ¥6,132

128.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

$495 ¥3,311

146.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

$2,942 ¥19.7K

17.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

$1,613 ¥10.8K

54.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿16.5K

$1,067 ¥7,131

-53.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.35

66.27%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Phuket: October 13, 2026

Last update for Changzhou: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Changzhou

$229 30.9% 50.3% $231

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Changzhou

$192 25.9% 28.3% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Changzhou

$76 10.3% 40.4% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Changzhou

$104 14% 16.5% $21

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Changzhou

$72 9.7% 40.7% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Changzhou

$50 6.7% 26.2% $18

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Changzhou

$19 2.5% 51.9% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $729 in Phuket and $285 in Changzhou. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Changzhou pays 116% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $32.00 in Phuket vs $29.00 in Changzhou for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $268 vs $192 per month, with Changzhou cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇨🇳 Changzhou

🕒 Local time

12:30 12:30 PM

13:30 1:30 PM

1 h ahead of Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

5,278,121

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Changzhou 3,470 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Changzhou

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Phuket vs Changzhou: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Changzhou is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 63% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 116% lower in Changzhou. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $729 in Phuket versus $285 in Changzhou. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 40% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Changzhou – a meal for two runs $29.00 versus $32.00 in Phuket. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $741 in Changzhou versus $1,207 in Phuket, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Changzhou but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Changzhou the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Changzhou is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Phuket, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Phuket and Changzhou are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Changzhou gentler on the wallet – expenses run 63% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.